"The
President is excited to welcome Egyptian President al-Sisi to the White
House on April 3 and he wants to use the visit to reboot the bilateral
relationship and build on the strong connection the two presidents
established when they first met in New York last September," [photo above] a senior
Trump administration official told reporters.

Noting that Egypt is one of the traditional
pillars of stability in the Middle East and has been a reliable US
partner for decades, he said Trump's initial interactions with al-Sisi,
including their phone call on January 23, have already improved the tone
of the relationship.

The US wants to support President al-Sisi's efforts in all of these areas.

"Our
relationship has historically been driven by security and that will
remain a key component of the engagement with Egypt. The US and Egyptian
militaries have built close relationships and many military officers
from Egypt have trained at US military installations," he said.

Trump
supports al-Sisi's ambition to develop a comprehensive
counter-terrorism approach that involves military, political, economic,
as well as social efforts, the official said, adding that at the same
time, Trump also wants to increase the focus on economic and commercial
cooperation in bilateral relationship.

Building a more stable and productive economy is a critical step to ensuring long-term stability in Egypt, the official said.

The Egyptian President has begun a necessary economic reform plan
that would strengthen the Egyptian economy if it is fully executed, he
said....

"President Donald
Trump will seek to rebuild the U.S. relationship with Egypt at a Monday
meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi focused on security
issues and military aid, a senior White House official said on Friday.

"He
wants to use President Sisi's visit to reboot the bilateral
relationship and build on the strong connection the two presidents
established when they first met in New York last September," the
official said, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity.

Egypt has long been one of Washington's closest allies in the Middle East, receiving $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid annually.The country is fighting an Islamist insurgency in
Sinai, and hundreds of Egyptian soldiers and police have been killed
fighting insurgents.

Obama froze aid
to the country for two years after Sisi, then a general, overthrew
President Mohamed Mursi in mid-2013 after mass protests against Mursi's
rule. Mursi, a Muslim Brotherhood member, had been elected the previous
year....

Trump's
relationship with Sisi got off to a good start when they met last
September in New York while Trump was running for president, the White
House said.